Triple Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
If I know Nutella fiends, I know you could care less what I have to say and want to get straight to the recipe.
I’ll be brief: These cookies are made with a mixture of all-purpose and hazelnut flour to cut some of the sweetness, add a bit of nutrition and give a slightly grown-up edge. (Teenage daughter who initially sneered at the idea of hazlenut flour in these, admitted these were good and even made happy, animal-like sounds while eating them. [And I’m sure she’s glad I put that out there. Hi, Sweetie!])
You have a few choices with how you top your cookies and how long you bake them depending on if you’re in the mood for crispy or crun-chewy.
Enough! I will keep you from the recipe no longer.
Ingredients
Yield: About 4 dozen
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup (75 grams) Nutella + 1/2 cup (150grams) Nutella + more for topping cookies
3/4 cup (160 grams) light brown sugar
3/4 cup (156 grams) white sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (85 grams) hazelnut flour (method below)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dark/semi-sweet chocolate chips
How To
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, hazelnut flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using a hand/stand mixer, blend the butter, white and light brown sugars until light and fluffy, like a cute widdle kitten. Seriously, the mixture should lighten in color and texture.
Add the eggs and vanilla and blend well.
Add the 1/4 cup (75 grams) of Nutella and mix on medium speed. Scrape down those sides and mix until just uniform.
Add the flour mixture in two additions. Scrape down the sides after each addition. (Hazelnut flour tends to hide in the dimple at the bottom of my Kitchen Aid mixing bowl.)
Use a silicone spatula to fold the 1/2 cup (150 grams) Nutella and the chocolate chips into the mixture. Streaks of Nutella should remain.
Scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets with at least 2 inches between them as they spread. Here’s where you have choices:
a. Leave the dough plain and pop them into the oven.
b. Make an indent about 1/4 way into each cookie with your thumb (wetting it slightly will keep your finger from sticking) and fill it with a small amount of Nutella.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes until set and starting to brown. If you want a crispier cookie, let the edges brown.
Transfer to a cookie sheet and let cool.
To make roasted hazelnut flour:
(Trader Joe’s and Nuts.com, among other places, sell already roasted hazelnuts)
Spread hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven until the start to smell, well, nutty and have a light color on them. If the nuts have skins, pour the tray of nuts onto a cloth towel, fold the towel over the nuts and rub to remove the skins. Let cool.
In a food processor with the blade attachment, and using cooled hazelnuts (warm ones will turn quickly to nut butter), pulse the nuts very fine and fluffy. Rub some between your finger tips to check how gritty. The finer/smaller you can get the nuts the better. Sweep around the edges of the bowl to make sure all the nuts are evenly chopped. A few too many pulses and you will end up with nut butter.
